Disposable berm mop

ABSTRACT

An absorbent berm mop assembly to contain a liquid spill is provided. The absorbent berm comprises an absorbent material packed within a tube sock of variable length and diameter comprising a berm. Prior to closing of the ends of the berm, a rigid plate is inserted atop the absorbent. The rigid berm is fixed to a handle bracket. Operation of the handle effects a flattening of the berm via force applied to the handle being distributed along the length of the rigid plate. The berm is used to contain spills on a floor by presenting a planar absorbent surface to absorb liquid that can be moved in a mopping motion. The saturated berm assembly can be disposed of for appropriate disposal after detaching from the handle. The advantage to this design is the ability to maximize the active absorbance capacity of a given volume of absorbent material by flattening the berm surface to the floor plane, as well as by mopping motion, while allowing for easy disposal of all but the handle. The novel utility is a disposable berm mop.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This patent application is a continuation of patent application Ser. No. 13/662,439.

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OF DEVELOPMENT

No Federal Government support was received in the development of this Invention.

SEQUENCE LISTING, TABLE, OR COMPUTER PROGRAM LISTING

No sequence listing, table, or computer program is attached or accompanies this Application.

Patentor

Carlo Fascio and Tina Ranalli are the Sole Inventors of this Utility.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention describes a disposable berm mop comprising an absorbent berm sock containing an internalized rigid plate to which is affixed to a handle bracket equipped with a handle, this disposable berm mop being used to contain liquid spills.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

A liquid spilled on a planar floor surface can be absorbed into an absorbent material through simply placing the material on the liquid, herein “passive” absorption, or through application of pressure to the material to more quickly absorb the liquid, herein “active” absorption. Absorptive materials fall into a number of categories, including particulate material, planar textiles, sponges in a variety of shapes, and combinations of said materials. One combination is a tube of permeable textile, herein “sock”, packed with absorbent particulate material, herein “stuffing”. Said assembly is called herein a “berm”. A berm absorbs spilled liquid from a floor through physical processes, herein “wicking”, of the liquid through the permeable textile upward into the absorbent material. Through cutting of said sock and then securing said stuffing in at the ends with closure devices such as sewing, sealing, or zip closures, two ends, herein “terminal faces”, may be created. In contrast, a three dimensional compressible solid with absorptive capability with a three dimensional structure not defined by a sock is herein called a “sponge”. A “handle bracket” may be made from a plurality of materials and comprise a three dimensional structure that supports and attaches to an absorbent structure such as said berm. Said berm is be affixed to said handle bracket in the Invention described in this Application by fasteners fastening the handle bracket to an “internalized rigid plate” within the berm. “Internalized rigid plate” refers to a thin plate of material that sits on top of the body of the absorbent material but inside the containing textile sock. The handle bracket may be equipped with a “handle”, a length of rigid material which enables distal operation of the handle bracket and berm sub-assembly, constituting an assembly herein called a “mop”. “Efficiency” of spill absorption is measured in terms of volume of liquid absorbed divided by the volume or weight of the absorbent structure. Mops may be reusable or disposable in part or in whole.

The history of application of absorptive materials includes the consideration of the number of dimensions of a material. An absorptive particulate can be considered to be approximately non-dimensional, a traditional mop string to be largely one dimensional, a textile to be two dimensional, and a sponge or berm to be three dimensional. The three dimensional berm differs from the three dimensional sponge in that a sponge holds its own shape by virtue of three dimensional structures within the absorptive material itself. A rigid berm uses a sock and a rigid plate to shape essentially non-dimensional absorptive particulates or short linear fibres.

Overlaying considerations of the physical dimensionality of the absorptive medium is the question of whether the medium is meant to permanently absorb a liquid, or whether the medium will be wrung of liquid into a container and once again used to absorb more liquid. A particulate absorbent distributed over liquid, once collected, is not meant to be wrung. Instead, the saturated particulate is disposed of. A textile can be wrung free of liquid absorbed into a container, and reused, or disposed of. A distinction between a sponge and a berm is that the berm sock can better prevent the liquid from exiting the three dimensional mass once absorbed. While a sponge is meant to be wrung for reuse, a berm is used to at least temporarily contain the liquid for transport. Clearly this vector ability following absorption is highly important for liquids that are hazardous, emphasizing again the utility difference between a sponge and a berm.

Said berm or berms were traditionally used alone to surround, herein “contain”, a variety of liquid spills, through passive absorption. Said berms can absorb more efficiently liquid spills through active absorption achieved by actively wiping the liquid with said berm and pressing down upon the berm with the handle and handle bracket. Variables determining absorption of liquid contained by the berm include the contribution of the sock textile, herein “textile properties”, area of the face presented to the floor, and the nature of the absorbent material. By extension, said berm could also be detachably attached to the bottom of a handle bracket equipped with a handle, said assembly called herein a “berm mop”, to actively contain liquids through mopping.

Examination of Prior Art in this diversity of absorption strategies is necessary to establish the novelty of the Invention described in this Application. Considering the most simple of these various absorptive products, the variety of particulate materials that can be applied to a spill is as diverse as the methods to once again gather this material. As an example, Sodergren (U.S. Pat. No. 6,326,070: Dec. 4, 2001) describes modification of sawdust as a scattered absorbent for oil spills. Adding a dimension, strings gathered and attached to a handle constitute a string mop. The string mop allows for transfer and drainage of absorbed liquid without direct contact with the liquid. The string mop is still the focus of patent applications, particularly in the manner of wringing the liquid from the mop, as in Spect (U.S. Pat. No. 5,850,658: Dec. 22, 1998). Elsewhere in the evolution of absorption tools it was realized that that textiles could be applied to a spill to absorb it. The divergent product evolutionary strategies constituted by said mop and said textile converged in the product called the “Swifter”, wherein a flat textile is detachably attached by a clip apparatus to a plate equipped with a mop handle, as in Morad (U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/490,379: Jul. 20, 2006). Said Swifter assembly architecture is worthy of note in comparison with this Invention. The Invention described elsewhere in this Application uses a fastening feature to attach not a textile or a sponge but a berm with an internalized rigid plate to a handle bracket equipped with a handle, using a plurality of fasteners to fasten the handle bracket through the textile sock to the internalized rigid plate.

The sponge mop presents an alternative to the textile, Swifter mop, and the string mop. While sponges themselves predate the patent system, a rich diversity of sponge mops has been devised to hold the sponge to a handle. Some patents include Michelson (U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/280,962: Nov. 16, 2005) for mounting a sponge to a plate equipped with a handle, and Michelson (U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/700,326: Jan. 31, 2007) and Libman (U.S. Pat. No. 7,555,803: Jul. 7, 2009) for two of many squeeze mop designs wherein a mechanical compression features allows for drainage and reuse of the sponge. While the manner of detachable attachment of the sponge has been the focus of many patents, the cross section of the sponge has also generated patent applications such as Kluiters (U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/488,903: Jun. 9, 1995), wherein a sponge with triangular cross section was employed. Prior art differs from the present Application in that the sponge in a sponge mop is distinct from a berm in a berm mop. As explained, said sponge derives its structure from the three dimensional structure of the sponge material itself, whereas said berm derives its three dimensional structure through packing of a textile sock containing absorbent material overlain by a rigid plate.

While it has been confirmed that the berm in its mop form differs from absorptive particulates, textiles, sponges, string mops, textile mops and sponge mops, novelty in the berm mop construction itself must be demonstrated. One distinguishing factor is the movability of the device allowing for active absorption through a mopping action of the berm, as well as to allow for removal of the saturated berm as vector for disposal of the waste. As illustration, Healy (U.S. Pat. No. 5,743,674, Apr. 28, 1998) describes a berm containment system wherein the berms are constructed around the border of a containment area. While the berm does present an absorbent surface to the floor, this is provided by the sock being adhered permanently to the floor. Removal of the liquid spill is achieved by a drainage system leading out of the berm, as opposed to removal of the berm itself. Cotton (U.S. Patent Appl. 20010010852, Aug. 2, 2001) describes a berm with a liquid permeable cover. Despite extensive reference to how that berm may be attached to a surface, the application makes no reference to any active mopping use. Broughton U.S. Patent Appl. 20070207306, Sep. 6, 2007) describes a tape adhered to the floor with an expandable absorbent particulate material inside a sock adhered to the also adhesive upper side of the tape. While this achieves a passively absorbent surface presented to the floor, this planar surface is not achieved by a mopping action but solely by the tape. Further, the design is immobile.

The limited number of berm Prior Art patents and applications are distinct from the Invention described in this Application. The present Application differs from the devices described in those inventions in that the Invention described in this Application is movable, and does not require an adhesive to achieve a flat absorbent face to the floor. Mobility is critical for a berm which may become saturated and necessitating replacement. Further, the presentation of a planar face to the floor is critical for optimizing active absorption, as seen in sponge mops that are rectangular or triangular in cross section. Further, this Application provides for a novel attachment functionality whereby the handle bracket is connected to an internalized rigid plate providing for attachment of the berm to the handle to form a berm mop. The difference between the use of this Invention as a standalone berm and as a berm mop is the difference between passive or active absorption of a liquid spill. Nonetheless, in both applications, the used berm is meant for transport for processing. An example is the transport of hazardous liquid chemicals from a floor spill to a hazardous materials storage facility by transporting saturated berms.

Provision of an absorptive berm reflects a number of design objectives for a drain closure; namely,

-   (1) The berm should be movable. -   (2) The berm should be affixed to a handle bracket fastened with     fasteners to through the berm textile sock to an internalized rigid     plate atop the absorbent stuffing within the berm, allowing for     pressure to be applied to the length of the berm when mopping. -   (3) The handle bracket should be equipped with a removable handle to     enable storage, mopping and disposal of the used berm.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Accordingly, it is an objection of this invention to at least partially overcome some of the disadvantages of the prior art in the collection and movable disposal of spilled liquids.

In a preferred embodiment, the berm is a permeable fabric sock into which particulate absorbent material is introduced. Production of this stuffed sock allows for a variety of lengths to be formed. When the desired length is achieved, the ends are cut, an internalized rigid plate approximately the length of the berm sock is inserted atop the absorbent material, and the terminal faces closed against spillage of the contained particulate by closure methods such as sewing, taping or zip closure. The berm is movable. The handle is attached to the handle bracket by a plurality of means including threading a male thread within a female thread, and the handle bracket is affixed to the berm by a plurality of fasteners fastening the handle bracket to the internalized rigid plate within the berm. A berm mop is formed. A plurality of lengths and diameters of berm are provided.

Although simple, this berm mop assembly enables all four of the absorption functionalities to be realized, namely: containment, absorption, movability, and transport. These functionalities are achieved through provision of three features to the berm mop.

-   (1) The berm should be movable. -   (2) The berm should be equipped with an internalized rigid top plate     to allow for pressure to be applied to the length of the berm     absorbent material, presenting a planar berm surface to the liquid. -   (3) The berm and handle bracket sub-assembly should be equipped with     a handle for distal operation.

Further aspects of the Invention will become apparent upon reading the following detailed description and drawings, which illustrate the Invention and preferred embodiments of the Invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In the drawing which illustrates embodiments of the invention:

FIG. 1 is an isometric view of the berm mop, showing handle, handle bracket, internalized rigid plate, berm, and liquid spill.

FIG. 2 is an isometric exploded detail view of the berm mop, showing screws fastening a mop handle bracket to a rigid plate internal and uppermost to an absorbent berm.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Referring now to FIG. 1, a berm comprises a rigid (3) plate over (5) absorbent material within a (4) textile sock to form (6) a berm. Said berm is affixed to a (2) handle bracket equipped with a (1) handle to comprise a berm mop. Said berm is placed on a floor to contain a (7) liquid spill by active mopping. The absorbent berm can be a plurality of lengths and diameters. The ends of the berm may be closed by a plurality of closures.

Referring now to FIG. 2, a berm comprises a rigid (3) plate over (5) absorbent material within a (4) textile sock. Said berm is affixed to a (2) handle bracket using a plurality of (8) fasteners to affix the (2) handle bracket to the rigid plate internal and upmost inside the berm . This assembly is equipped with a handle not shown in FIG. 2. 

The following claims are made about the invention described in this application:
 1. A mop for liquid spills comprising: a rigid plate located atop a mass of absorbent material. both rigid plate and absorbent material being enclosed within a textile sock. a handle bracket to be affixed to a rigid plate by fasteners through said textile sock. a handle attached to said handle bracket.
 2. A berm mop for liquid spills wherein application of force in the mopping motion to the handle serves to flatten the berm to the floor through transfer of that force along the rigid plate allowing for absorption of the liquid spill by the berm.
 3. A disposable berm mop where separation of the mop handle from the remainder of the berm assembly allows disposal of a berm saturated with liquid. 